Great question! Below are some of the most notable reasons:

Safety: Your safety at our retreats is our absolute #1 and top priority. In addition to the extensive training they have via Shamanic lineages, all PMP shamanic guides are well-versed and certified in various Western healing modalities such as CPR, Triage, AED, and others to ensure all our guests are physically, emotionally, and spiritually safe.

Intimacy: All of our retreats host a maximum of 30 guests, and some are significantly smaller. No matter what, all PMP retreats are crafted such that our guides will always know your name, medical history, and intentions for sitting with us. You will be able to connect with the shamanic guides in a deeply personal way without ever feeling anonymous or uncared for.

Personal Connection: At PMP retreats, each guest receives a one-on-one direct connection with our shamanic guides. In many other ceremony cycles, guests have very little opportunity to connect with the ceremony facilitators and guides, yet this is one of the core elements that helps people feel safe. We provide many opportunities for you to ask questions and connect personally with our guides throughout the retreat. Prior to each ceremony, you will meet individually with one of our guides to discuss all of your concerns, express your intentions, and ask any questions you may have.

Value + Clarity: Most PMP retreats are all inclusive; for retreats that offer additional bodywork sessions, psychic readings, or travel excursions, we will clearly articulate all additional expenses and the final cost. You will never be surprised with any hidden fees or costs when booking a PMP retreat.

Menstruating Women Welcome! Many retreats and ceremony circles forbid women to sit while one their moon cycle, but we welcome you! PMP only works with shamanic guides who know how to keep women safe during their cycle; you will not be denied your plant medicine retreat experience because of your natural monthly cycle.

Authentic and Experienced: Our shamans have trained for many years (some for decades) in lineages such as Shipibo-Conibo, Mestizo, and Chavin. All of our shamanic guides hold the sacred lineage of this work with the utmost respect and sacredness. Each ceremony is authentic to the tribes and traditions they are trained with, including shamanic clearings, ancient icaros (songs of healing), soul retrievals, and related modalities and techniques.

Depth and Variety: PMP offers a myriad of retreat types, such as Ayahuasca journeys, Master Plant Dietas, Huachuma ceremonies, shadow work workshops, consciousness exploration, and trainings for those who are called to do this work themselves.

Preparation and Integration: We are here for you right from the start, providing you with all the information you need to prepare well and make the most out of your PMP retreat experience. Our retreats include both a 30-minute screening and preparation consultation before the retreat and a 60-minute integration call after the retreat. PMP holds the aftermath of the retreat as an equally important component of your overall experience. As such, all of our retreats have integration woven throughout the entire experience, and you will never be sent back into the world without clarity, tools, and the support that you need.

1. Browse the current offerings on our website and choose the retreat you want to attend.

2. Complete and submit the retreat application (your medical and medication history, mental health history, history of using plant medicine, dietary and special needs, and other relevant information). You can either click the APPLY button in the top nav bar, or the APPLY button for the selected retreat!

3. PMP will process your application within approximately 24 hours to confirm that a) there is space in the retreat for you, b) it is safe for you to attend retreat, and c) send you a link to pay your retreat deposit (approximately one-third of the total retreat cost).

4. Once your deposit is paid, you will receive a link to schedule the screening and preparation consultation.

5. After you have had your screening and preparation consultation with us, we will send you an information package containing details on all preparation and logistics such as travel, diet, and all other preparation recommendations.

Note: Please do not purchase any travel arrangements until we provide you with a final confirmation of your retreat reservation (after the application is approved, deposit is paid, and the screening and preparation consultation is complete).

Yes, a deposit of approximately one-third of the retreat cost is required to secure your reservation. The remaining balance will be due 60 days prior to the retreat start date. After your retreat application has been approved, we will send you a link to pay the deposit.

Please click here to view our full cancellation and refund policy, including deposit requirements.

We work with Ayahuasca, Huachuma (San Pedro cactus), Rapeh, Sananga, Cacao, Kambo, and many other potent plant medicines (teachers). These are offered during the retreat to all who are called to explore them. Each retreat is different in terms of focus and offerings; please review the description of each retreat for full details.

Yes! All Plant Medicine People shamanic guides have trained in specific indigenous lineages and traditions for many years to lead ceremonies with the plant medicines they work with. Our guides hold the sacred lineage of this work with the utmost respect and sacredness. The ceremonies you will experience are authentic to the tribes and traditions our guides are trained with, including shamanic clearings, ancient icaros (songs of healing), soul retrievals, and other related modalities and techniques.

Our retreats include both a 30-minute screening and preparation consultation before the retreat and 4 60 minute group integration calls after we all return home. We will also send you an information packet 30-60 days prior to the retreat start providing all dietary and other preparation methods in detail. In addition to the post-retreat integration call, we hold integration circles throughout the retreat to process your experiences as a community and provide ample opportunity for you to ask questions and discuss your experiences. We promise to help you ground in your experiences and to provide access to experienced plant medicine integration professionals should you need additional support.

Women on their moon cycle are most welcome! Many other retreats and ceremony circles forbid women to sit with them on their moons, but since our shamanic guides are well-trained in working with women in this sensitive and powerful state, women in all phases of their cycle are welcome.

After we have had the screening and preparation consultation, you will receive an information packet that will include all the dietary and preparation guidelines to prepare you for your retreat experience. While we will provide a list of foods to avoid, our recommended approach to your diet is to focus less on deprivation and more on creating an environment within your sacred body that will facilitate allowing the medicine the best chance to permeate and illuminate the areas that need healing.

Yes, all of our retreats are hosted only in countries where the plant medicines are either decriminalized or legal.

We keep our retreats intimate and small, with an average of 15-30 guests (the latter is our maximum capacity.) We also have a staff member present for every 8-10 participants, so you will always have personal attention.

Yes! All guests will have a one-on-one connection with our shamanic guides. In many other ceremony cycles, sitters have very little opportunity to connect with the people that lead ceremonies in a personal way, and yet that is one of the core elements that helps people feel safe. Our guides meet personally with each participant before each ceremony, listening to fears, intentions, and questions so that each person knows they are seen, heard, and cared for. There will also be lots of opportunities to ask questions and connect with them throughout the retreat.

Yes! Couples are welcome. We will require that you and your partner do not sit next to each other during ceremony to ensure you both undergo your own process and minimize any energetic influences. You will also be asked to abstain from all sensual and sexual contact with your partner (and yourself) during the retreat. When you book the retreat, you will need to decide if you and your partner will share a private room or if you prefer to have separate accommodations to support your process.

Ayahuasca is an Amazonian plant medicine that has been used in a sacred context by indigenous healers in Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, and Brazil for thousands of years. Made from the mixture of two or more plants found in the Amazon jungle—most commonly the Ayahuasca vine (Banisteriopsis Caapi) and the Chacruna leaf (Psychotria Viridis), which contains the powerful psychoactive dimethyltryptamine (DMT)—Ayahuasca is a brew capable of inducing altered states of consciousness. The word Ayahuasca is based in the Quechua language and translates to “vine of the soul” or “vine of the dead.”

Not at all, purging on Ayahuasca is not dangerous, it is natural. The medicine helps us remove or “purge” all that we must release in order to heal and evolve. Everyone experiences purging differently. It can involve vomiting, diarrhea, crying, yawning, sweating, shaking, shivering, or laughing. If you need assistance during a ceremony (e.g., assistance to get to the restroom or a bucket), there will be plenty of experienced and qualified assistants on call to help. We are trained to respond accordingly to any scenario, and you will be well taken care of quickly and lovingly should any challenging situation arise. Everything that happens during an Ayahuasca ceremony is “normal” and whatever happens is absolutely and perfectly fine with nothing to be ashamed of or worried about.

At PMP, our highest priority is the physical, emotional, energetic, and spiritual safety of our guests. Our stringent intake process ensures each guest a safe and fulfilling experience, mitigating any risk of potential contraindications with our medicines. We work with intake professionals during the screening and preparation for your journey, as well as after your retreat during the integration process. PMP shamanic guides are certified in in techniques like CPR, AED and triage. Because our circles are small, shamans can be very hands-on with the tribe and be aware of each person’s state at all times. They will also have experienced and qualified assistants available, so you can rest assured that you will be very well taken care of.

Yes, in general, medications such as SSRIs, MAOIs, psychiatric medications, asthma medications, opiates, amphetamines, and other drugs such as cannabis, cocaine, and other hallucinogenic substances are contraindicated with drinking ayahuasca and some other plant medicines. Certain health and mental health conditions are also contraindicated. For this reason, you are asked to submit a comprehensive health and history questionnaire on the retreat application to be reviewed before your reservation is secured in addition to our screening and preparation consultation.

Generally, we recommend stopping most medications four weeks in advance of your retreat if possible. If this is not possible, discuss with your doctor the medications that you are on and what interactions there may be with MAOIs, and especially if it would pose a health risk for you to discontinue any of the medications you currently take. This information is critical for you to disclose thoroughly in the retreat application and discuss during the screening and preparation consultation with us as some medication and drug interactions with Ayahuasca can be life-threatening.

Below is a list of medications and drugs generally contraindicated with Ayahuasca and are recommended to be discontinued at least four weeks prior to joining in ceremony:

SSRI’s (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors)

Asthma medications

MAOIs

Diet pills (appetite suppressants)

High blood pressure medication (antihypertensives)

Benzodiazepines

Vasodilators

Many sinus/allergy/cold medicines including but not limited to: Vicks 44-D, Actifed DM, Dristan Cold & Flu, Tylenol Cold/Cough/Flu, Benadryl, Robitussin-DM—anything with Dextromethorphan (DXM) or with DM, DX or “tuss” in its name)

Antipsychotic medication

Opiates

Amphetamines (MDMA, meth, ephedrine, etc.)

Phenethylamines (mescaline)

Kratom

Kava

St. John’s Wort & 5-HTP supplements

Integration calls for taking the knowledge gained and our experiences and lessons learned during our retreat and turning them into actions incorporated into our daily life. This can involve changing habits, relationships, community, and our approach to life. It can also call for increasing awareness of our thoughts and actions or redefining our goals and purpose. Integration is as important as the actual ceremonies, and the process of integration begins when the retreat starts!

Dietas (or diets) are an ancient tradition with tribes such as the Shipibo-Conibo and Mestizo in the Amazonian jungle of Peru. It is a foundational process created for a human to merge with the spirit of the selected master plant, allowing for the incredible vibrations and lessons of these wise “teacher plants” to be absorbed and integrated in our human consciousness. Dietas open the door to possibilities to heal and transform our physical, emotional, and spiritual being. Traditional master plant dietas are held in isolation in the jungle under the guidance of a curandero/curandera with a very light and plain diet in order to increase our sensitivity to receive the plant’s messages and relieve us of our typical distractions to our outer world. Our only task in an isolated dieta is to be with our plant and ourselves in a deeply committed way. Alternatively, a master plant dieta can be done “socially” (aka Dieta Suave) where, instead of being in isolation, we undertake the dieta within the context of our daily lives. However, our selected plant remains our main focus and we must adjust the flow of our life accordingly to accommodate the commitment. See our Master Plant Dieta webpage for more details.

Once you have submitted your application to reserve a spot in a master plant diet retreat and have paid your deposit, we will discuss your needs and the perfect plant partner for you during your screening and preparation consultation. We ensure the plant you choose to diet is mutually agreed upon by a guide, you, and the plant themselves!

Dietas (or diets) are an ancient tradition with tribes such as the Shipibo-Conibo and Mestizo in the Amazonian jungle of Peru. It is a foundational process created for a human to merge with the spirit of the selected master plant, allowing for the incredible vibrations and lessons of these wise “teacher plants” to be absorbed and integrated in our human consciousness. Dietas open the door to possibilities to heal and transform our physical, emotional, and spiritual being. Traditional master plant dietas are held in isolation in the jungle under the guidance of a curandero/curandera with a very light and plain diet in order to increase our sensitivity to receive the plant’s messages and relieve us of our typical distractions to our outer world. Our only task in an isolated dieta is to be with our plant and ourselves in a deeply committed way. Alternatively, a master plant dieta can be done “socially” (aka Dieta Suave) where, instead of being in isolation, we undertake the dieta within the context of our daily lives. However, our selected plant remains our main focus and we must adjust the flow of our life accordingly to accommodate the commitment. See our Master Plant Dieta webpage for more details.

Once you have submitted your application to reserve a spot in a master plant diet retreat and have paid your deposit, we will discuss your needs and the perfect plant partner for you during your screening and preparation consultation. We ensure the plant you choose to diet is mutually agreed upon by a guide, you, and the plant themselves!

Sessions are fully refundable up to 48 hours before the scheduled date/time, minus PayPal fees. You may reschedule your session up to 1 hour before your session time with zero penalty, however, but no shows forfeit the entire fee. We are exceedingly flexible with rescheduling though—we all understand life happens! Just reach out to your coach and we are happy to help.

If you’re confused about who to work with, email us here and let us know your intentions and requests, and we are happy to make the perfect match with one of your in-house experts.